Etihad Aviation Group donates supplies to Syrian children in Greece as part of its Year of Zayed initiatives

Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates – Etihad Aviation Group (EAG) donated supplies to help more than 2,450 Syrian refugee children at Ritsona, Kare-Tepe and Malakasa refugee camps in Greece on 13 and 15 September. The provisions were flown to Greece on a specially branded Year of Zayed Etihad Cargo Boeing 777 as part of the group’s ongoing corporate social responsibility programme.

The donation, in partnership with Emirates
Red Crescent, comprised of more than 2,450
school bags and stationery sets, to benefit children between four and 15 years
old, some of whom are starting school for the first time this year. Etihad
Aviation Group made the donation through a series of fundraisers and volunteer
events in Abu Dhabi.

Khaled Al Mehairbi, Chairman Corporate
Social Responsibility, who headed the delegation during the visit, said: “As
the UAE’s national airline and as part of our extensive Year of Zayed
programme, we are committed to giving back to those in need. This donation
represents the legacy of UAE’s founding father HH Sheikh Zayed’s philosophy
towards respect, demonstrated through the care and generosity of our dedicated
staff volunteers, as well as the wider community in Abu Dhabi who participated
in our initiatives to support global education.”

Open since 2016, under the patronage of
the United Arab Emirates and with support of Emirates Red Crescent and Greek
Red Cross, around 500 Syrian children at Ritsona camp benefited from the
charitable distribution. Ritsona camp has 159 housing units, three schools, a
children’s playground and a football and volleyball area.

Mohammed Mir Abdullah Al Raisi, UAE
Ambassador to Greece who helped with donation distribution at Ritsona said: “I
would like to thank Etihad Aviation Group, Emirates Red Crescent and all our
partners for their efforts in this important initiative. I am grateful that
together, we are highlighting the importance of education to the less
fortunate.”

Lead by the Municipality of Lesvos and
with the support of Mayor Galinos Spyros, around 1,500 children received the
donation at Kara-Tepe camp, an open hospitality center which accepts vulnerable
families of refugees. The camp is equipped with a medical centre and education
areas for music, languages and more, to provide refugees with essential
facilities. To celebrate the donation, a fun-filled day for children at the
camp was arranged, including a football game.

Malakasa Accommodation Center, about
40km from the center of Athens and funded by European Union Civil Protection
and Humanitarian Aid, houses around 1,400 refugees from Afghanistan, Syria and
Iraq. Education supplies were distributed for the 450
children living at the camp.

As well as much needed school supplies, Ritsona,
Kare-Tepe and Malakasa were also given over 4,500 blankets for both children
and adults, in addition to clothes and story books.

“We are extremely proud to play a part
in helping these students pursue their studies and hope that our visit will
help raise awareness of the importance of children’s education. Our thanks go
to all parties who supported this donation including Emirates Red Crescent and
the UAE Embassy in Greece, and upheld the late Sheikh Zayed’s philanthropic
endeavors,” Mr Al Mehairbi concluded.

Over the next few months, Etihad will
continue to commemorate the Year of Zayed through a number of projects
including the Abu Dhabi Birdathon, a community and sustainability event,
renaming the Etihad Training Academy to Zayed Campus and launching the Young
Aviators programme for school children in the UAE.